The Speaker of the House of Representatives in Nigeria, Mr Yakubu Dogara, says he will not resign despite allegations of budget padding against him.

Mr Dogara made the statement after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday.

Talks at the meeting were believed to be largely focused on the budget padding scandal rocking the lower legislative chamber.

It came a day after the ruling All Progressives Congress asked the Speaker to stop further public comments on the budget padding issue that had triggered diverse views.

Not An Offence

A presidency source said Mr Dogara had requested for a meeting with the President over allegations levelled against him by a former Chairman of the Appropriation Committee of the House, Mr Abdulmumin Jibrin.

Shortly after the meeting with the President, the Speaker of the House told reporters that despite the allegation of budget padding, he would not resign.

He said that budget padding was not an offence.

The Speaker further emphasised that he had been a lawyer and a member of the House for a long time that the word padding had never been an offence and that those who allege of padding of the budget should be the ones to prove it.

On whether there would be sanctions against Mr Jibrin, the speaker said: “The ethics committee of the house would determine that”.

Asked if he was worried over the allegation, he said it was nothing to be worried about. “Why should I be worried?” he asked.

Budget padding scandal resurfaced months after the budget was passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, with Mr Jibrin submitting a document to back his allegation against some members of the House to four federal government agencies.

He indicted Mr Dogara and 11 others in the document.

The petition was submitted at the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Department of Security Services and the Police headquarters all in Abuja.

During the period the legislative arm of government was deliberating on the budget before its passage, the executive had accused the legislature of adding a project that was not in the document sent to them for approval.

But the legislature insisted that it had only helped the executive to put a poorly documented budget in a better shape.

http://www.channelstv.com/2016/08/05/dogara-i-will-not-resign-padding-is-not-an-offence/

V

We don't resign in Nigeria b4 naw who told u to resign?

Interpreters come and see this ooo! Now in nigeria, every crime committed by them has a language of escape

So this was said after meeting with the president? This man get mind o
Anyways I trust my sai Buhari when he is through with Dogara he will know never to pad budget again


Jonathan sef

oga dogara,e be like say e don tey wey you chop resetting slap abi??

Lawbreakers and polithiefcians masquerading as leaders!!! No be lie, with people like this, Nigeria no fit better.

I guess bubu has pardoned him

Dogara is the quiet form of saraki.

This guy spoilt the good will he was enjoying.

We should stop telling our politicians to resign because they won'. It is not in their dictionary.

Mynd44

The only problem we have in Africa is our level of corruption....no matter the level of corruption, resignation letter is not in our dictionary whereby we encourage corruption and claim corruption is a normal thing...I belief if this kind of a thing happen in an advanced country the first thing to hear is DOGARA resign due to budget padding"

moyakz:
oga dogara,e be like say e don tey wey you chop resetting slap abi??

That's polithiefcians for you.

They'd say, "let them talk". They believe Nigerians would always have a say and polithiefcians will have their way.

Unfortunately, like other corrupt cases involving high profile thieves in the past, this shall also pass and nothing will be heard again. Like Sarakill, like DOGara, same old-same old.

Chineke! Only in this God-damned country is where we lack shame or dignity of humbling ourselves even when caught red-handed in a criminal offense.Imagine the statement of the indicted speaker.APC reeks of complete corruption-afterwards it was a conglomerate of past leaders/looters,party renegades/rejects,recycled ass-lickers,etc. that aggregate to form it.One thought persons like Dogara will resign because of the highly prized Buhari's anti-corruption mantra,but alas the useless president rather have a more heavier corruption baggage on his neck.Oh Nigeria my country.

wahala dey

How i wish someone will just come up with a John Regan styled flushing method for these politicians.##icryforcountry.

nerodenero:
That's polithiefcians for you.

They'd say, "let them talk". They believe Nigerians would always have a say and polithiefcians will have their way.

Unfortunately, like other corrupt cases involving high profile thieves in the past, this shall also pass and nothing will be heard again. Like Sarakill, like DOGara, same old-same old.

itz really funny to know that,our 2015 self-professed 'no-nonsense presido' is now the clueless one!or has he forgotten so soon that fighting corruption was his main 'propaganda'?

eph12:
So this was said after meeting with the president? This man get mind o
Anyways I trust my sai Buhari when he is through with Dogara he will know never to pad budget again

I laugh. Buratai has 2 houses he couldn't have afforded with his salary,he is still there;dambazzau has been openly, crudely shielded from arms gate.
If u still have any hope of dogara being affected,take this:the same PMB promised fire and brimstone against civil servants he has DIRECT disciplinary powers over,over this same budget padding.What eventually happened:just 1 or 2 were REDEPLOYED,no demotion,no sack,no prosecution.Keep your hopes very low,my friend.

this is bullcrap! imagine this thief is still having the infantry to make mouth.. if this man is not prosecuted by the buhari led government, then this government is finished!

doctokwus:

I laugh. Buratai has 2 houses he couldn't have afforded with his salary,he is still there;dambazzau has been openly, crudely shielded from arms gate.
If u still have any hope of dogara being affected,take this:the same PMB promised fire and brimstone against civil servants he has DIRECT disciplinary powers over,over this same budget padding.What eventually happened:just 1 or 2 were REDEPLOYED,no demotion,no sack,no prosecution.Keep your hopes very low,my friend.

That's so depressing
So it's one step forward and five steps backwards? Terrible

Resignation is an anathema to many politicians. They would rather be forced out of office than leave honourably....This budget padding brouhaha is a litmus test of Buhari's fight against corruption. But since his party has gagged the whistle blower, it won't come as a surprise if the whole affair is hushed up.

if actually that man made this statement, then he needs to be shot, brought back to life, re-shot,
brought back to life again and be beheaded. No shame at all *spits*

Yeah, not surprised...you are no more honourable than a masked gun-man in the streets.

Only men with honour resign